Bald Eagle at Lafayette Reservoir
Fri, 4 Jan 2002 09:42:10 -0800
From: Don Lewis
This morning from 8:30 to 9:00 AM the Bald Eagle was sitting in a tall, bare tree at water's edge on the west side of Lafayette Reservoir in Lafayette. This was somewhere near nature trail marker 7, but I don't know if it was visible from there. I saw it from the east side of the lake, in the area of marker 14 or so. It was also visible as a white speck from the viewpoint at marker 26 and from the entire east half of the dam (scope needed).
Don Lewis
Lafayette, CA
Red Knots at Hayward Regional Shoreline,
and displaying ducks
Fri, 4 Jan 2002 10:39:53 -0800
From: Emily Serkin
Greetings.
For those who don't know, there are, as usual, Red Knots wintering at the Hayward Regional Shoreline. I saw 3 or 4 a couple of weeks ago, at low tide, in the Bay, south of Sulphur Creek.
Also for those who don't know, ducks are doing their courtship displays, I assume everywhere. I often see Mallards displaying locally and last week in the Central Valley saw Gadwall, Northern Pintail, and Green-winged Teal doing likewise. It's not for nothing they dress up by fall, and I highly recommend the show!
Good birding,
Emily Serkin
Oakland
Ruff in Alviso
Fri, 4 Jan 2002 13:05:31 -0800
From: Val Blakely
I did not see the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper in Alviso (Santa Clara County) when we went on New Year's Eve. We did, though, see a Ruff. We say it from the railroad tracks 100 yards north of the road that enters into the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge.
Val Blakely
Fremont, CA
Wood Ducks in Fremont
Fri, 4 Jan 2002 13:12:55 -0800
From: Val Blakely
In the Niles Community Park in Fremont, we saw 5 Wood Ducks, 3 males and 2 females. Also there were about 15 Black-crowned Night-Herons. Just look throughout Shinn Pond just down the path past the restrooms and tennis courts. You can access this park by taking Mission Blvd and turn west on Niles Blvd. Turn on H St and go to the end. Then turn right and the park is on the left. Pull in there and park. Walk past the restrooms and tennis courts down to the pond.
Have fun.
Val Blakely
Fremont, CA
Immature Bald Eagle near Antioch
Fri, 4 Jan 2002 18:04:51 PST
From: Jeff Mohamed
There was an immature Bald Eagle at Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve near Antioch early this afternoon.
Jeff Mohamed
Cedar Waxwings in Pittsburg
Fri, 4 Jan 2002 18:11:41 PST
From: Jeff Mohamed
Larry Tunstall mentioned a Cedar Waxwing in Wildcat Canyon. We've had 200+ waxwings at the Oak Hills Apartments Complex since mid-November. (Corner of West Leyland and Oak Hills Dr, opposite Pittsburg Bay Point BART station.) Last winter there were 600+ but only for a couple of days after Christmas.
Jeff Mohamed
Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve
Sat, 5 Jan 2002 07:13:12 PST
From: Jeff Mohamed
My wife and I birded mainly the inner car park and main picnic areas of Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve near Antioch from 11:30 AM through 2:00 PM on Friday and saw 28 species:
American Kestrel (several)
Oak Titmouse (several)
Bushtit
Bewick's Wren
White-breasted Nuthatch (several)
Western Meadowlark (several)
Northern Flicker (several)
Red-breasted Sapsucker
Anna's Hummingbird (several)
American Robin (several)
Mourning Dove
Brewer's Blackbird (several)
Red-winged Blackbird (30+)
Black Phoebe
Say's Phoebe
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Red-tailed Hawk (several)
Turkey Vulture (several)
Western Scrub-Jay (several)
Western Bluebird (10+)
Lesser Goldfinch (several)
California Towhee
Spotted Towhee
White-crowned Sparrow (several)
Golden-crowned Sparrow (10+)
Loggerhead Shrike
Dark-eyed Junco (10+)
immature Bald Eagle
The eagle was in view for several minutes from the entrance road just north of the pay booth and was being mobbed for much of the time by a Red-tailed Hawk.
Jeff Mohamed
Pittsburg